Too Many Escorts/Peugeots Blog......

Orion arch looks scary!

I do the same thing all the time, grow attached to temporary cars. It's an illness.

Yes, thats the problem you buy something old and tatty expecting it to die on you and it just keeps on going, scrapping it feels wrong in the end, my old xantia did that was very scruffy but just kept going until gearbox let go but it had been making a noice for over 30k miles!

Love escorts, especially the mK1s and 2s but the later ones are great too. Keep the updates coming.

Escortosis?



Nice cars

Got some petrol on a rag and scrubbed off all the horrible shultz someone had painted over the sills. Thankfull,apart from the bodge plate at the back, al was mint still underneath

Old tie bar rubbers were replaced, along with rear brake pipe and flexi hose




Time to sort the rot out then..










Bit of filler and then primer





Finally the fun bit, top coat and laquer :thumb:







Quite happy with that! Will repair the localised rust at the top of the arch and where the mudflap bolts once shes gone through the MOT.

Next job is the same on the N/S rear, then it's MOT time! Have fun Escort fans...

Good on you for keeping these old, totally non-exotic fords on the road.
They were the cars which were part of everyone's daily life for years, and one day someone will say 'where have all the Orions gone'. In fact, I think I just did! ;D

after reading this ive just remembered some of my cars & just realised that ive always had a ford escort sat around me from mk1 to mk6 thats 20+yrs & went through a stage of getting orions loved my 1600e but it was rotten !!! had some laughs in my mk3 1.6 ghia escort looked really nice polished up with black paint & chrome trim

I always find it amazing how quickly time flies,sorry for the lackof updates chaps,must try harder!

So seeing as it looks like snow outside, best tap up an update on the fleet.

First up the rusty Orion..



In a rare mature, sensible moment, I realised I already had enough on as it was with the Mk1 and Mk3. So I sent her packing to the car park in the sky and recieved £20 more back than I bought her for. Result! Have to admit though, I hate scrapping a car.....

The MK3 is nearly ready for the road, pretty much just the wheels and tyres to sort now. After reading Mr Bo11ox's thread, removed the tyres myself with some levers borrowed from a work mate. Gotta say, its alot easier than I expected it to be.

So popped the wheels in the acid bath at work to remove the many layers of paint then blasted them ready for primer.



So that leaves the MK1, which I'm please to announce I have my mojo back for! ;D Had a massive selling spree of all my old tat and tidied up my garage so that work could commence again.



After reading TonyBMW's threads, I realised that after nearly 10 years of restoring cars,I really should be pushing for better quality repairs. don't get me wrong, I feel i'm not to shabby in my work,but Tony's work as you all know is a league above any of ours!

So first up I thought I would practice the invisible repair on something fairly simple. No curves, just something nice and straight forward. So seeing as the replacement sill I had fitted many moons ago,doesnt contain the pressing for the little sill badge, I started with that.



Cut out neatly using a combination of plasma cutting disc on grinder and dremel.



Tacked in level and then fully welded in..





Then what seems to be the most important part after getting everything level-grinding back the weld. Following the making panels thread I took the bulk of the weld off using a Grinding disc,followed by very carefully taking the remainder down with a flap disc. A bit of a going over with the DA sander and finally I had pushed my metal working skills to the next level.







Bloody happy with that I was,which really has brought on the enthusiasm!

So whats left to do with my mk1 before I can prepare for paint? Well I need to change the rear scuttle under the back window, and also replace the back panel.

So first off i'm going to sort out the back panel. Both back quarters where they meet the back panel are frilly/rusty and the replacement quarter I have fitted,whoever removed it off the old car cut away the lower part too closely and removed too much along with the mounting lip.





So set upon the n/s first and replaced the rotten top section.















So after that I looked at the missing bottom section. Fortunatly Tony had just done similar type of repair on the M5....

retrorides.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=readersrides&action=display&thread=119596&page=3

It seems a very logical way to do it, but before reading that, I wouldn't of had a clue! So set about things...













Put the old back panel up against to check the gap and i'm happy with that!



Just got to repair the "flange" on the other side next, then I can pop the new rear panel on

More soon I promise!

Excellent work!